<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Wrong Number by Tadpole4176</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28656096">The Wrong Number</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tadpole4176/pseuds/Tadpole4176'>Tadpole4176</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Retirement Trouble [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Top Gear (UK) RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday, Fluff, Gen, Kidfic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:27:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,059</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28656096</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tadpole4176/pseuds/Tadpole4176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Top Gear just kept going… until someone thought he needed to retire? And what if Stig thought that was a bad idea?</p><p>It's James's birthday, but he's really not pleased about being 19.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeremy Clarkson/Richard Hammond/James May</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Retirement Trouble [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953919</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m still a teenager,” huffed James dramatically, as Richard jumped on his bed far too early in the morning in a way that he’d specifically forbidden on several occasions.</p><p>Richard shrugged. “It’s still your birthday, we’re going out to celebrate.”</p><p>A pint, perhaps? James perked up, then his brain wrapped itself round the reality of the excited twelve year old, and the time, which was before 9am. “Is this a celebration I’m going to actually enjoy?”</p><p>“Definitely,” nodded Richard. “But it’s a surprise, so you just have to get up now. Jez’s already waiting.”</p><p>“Really?” James looked at his little friend doubtfully.</p><p>“Getting impatient as we speak,” confirmed Richard, jumping off James’s bed again and heading for the door. “Don’t be too long!”</p><p>Jeremy was, in fact, standing in the kitchen staring blearily at the kettle. He looked up as Richard bounced in. “Remind me again why we’re doing this, Hamster. I’m pretty sure James would be happy with a beer and a lie in.”</p><p>“But he’ll love it! He loves Lego!” insisted Richard.</p><p>“He loves beer and sleep too,” grinned Jeremy, finally pouring his coffee and sipping at it. “You want a hot chocolate?”</p><p>Richard nodded eagerly, still bouncing on his toes in excitement.</p><p>Jeremy turned back to the counter, quickly mixing some hot chocolate for him and pouring in the remainder of the hot water, before turning back to Richard and grimacing. Putting the hot drink back down on the counter, he reached down and grabbed his friend, hefting him quickly onto the counter near the sink – well away from the kettle. “Sit still,” he said, by way of explanation, “you’ll end up burning yourself hopping round like that.”</p><p>The boy grinned back at him, but didn’t complain, instead swinging his legs and taking hold of the drink carefully.</p><p>By the time Richard reached the bottom of the mug, Jeremy was looking more awake and a rumpled James finally appeared at the door.</p><p>“So to what do I owe the early morning wakeup call?” grumbled James, only losing the grimace momentarily when Jeremy handed him a steaming up of tea.</p><p>“Happy birthday,” grinned Richard, hopping down from the counter and turning to look up at Jeremy. “Can we go now?”</p><p>“Give me a minute, Hamster,” grumbled James.</p><p>“I have! Several! It’s your birthday, why are you so grumpy?”</p><p>“Because it’s my birthday, and I’m STILL a teenager! I’m far too old to go around being a teenager.”</p><p>Richard stared up at him, caught between a need to fight with James for being ridiculous and to sympathise with him. “It’s your fault,” he finally said. “You’re the one who said I couldn’t be thirteen.”</p><p>“I’m well aware,” muttered James. “It doesn’t make me wrong, and it doesn’t make it any less annoying.”</p><p>“James,” interrupted Jeremy. “Exactly how many people ask your age anyway? Surely no one cares, just pretend you’re 20. Anyhow, we have plans for today that are far too childish for a teenager but perfect for a twelve year old and two twenty-ish year olds with a mental age of nine.”</p><p>“Oh God, what?”</p><p>“We’re going to Legoland,” announced Richard, beaming right across his face.</p><p>James stared at him, and then up at Jeremy. “Legoland? You thought Legoland was the place to go for my birthday? It’s full of children!”</p><p>“No it’s not,” grinned Richard. “It’s a school day! Come on, some rides, some really good Lego models, you’ll love it.”</p><p>“I might quite like to look at the models,” conceded James.</p><p>“Yeeeesssss!” yelled Richard, flinging his arms round James, then turning back to look at Jeremy. “Can we go now?”</p><p>“Come on, Hamster,” grinned Jeremy, turning and walking towards the front door, grabbing his coat on the way out. “Don’t forget your coat.”</p><p> </p><p>…………………………………………………………</p><p> </p><p>By the time they arrived, James was more awake and significantly less grumpy. As Richard bounced up and down in the back of Jeremy’s Mercedes, his enthusiasm slowly rubbed off on the birthday boy, leaving him eager to arrive and get his hands on some huge piles of Lego. As they drew up in the car park, Richard was out of the door before Jeremy had even got the handbrake on.</p><p>“I’m putting child locks on those back doors,” grumbled Jeremy, grinning at James.</p><p>“Yeah, just to give our ancient twenty something legs time to catch up,” groaned James, bailing out of the car almost as quickly and grabbing the still bouncing Richard by the collar before he actually sprinted across the car park.</p><p>“Hamster,” he said, “chill, just a little bit, or one of us is going to wind up throwing you onto one of the exhibits and making everyone very cross.”</p><p>“I’m a bit excited,” said Richard, looking up at James in all seriousness. “I’ve read up on this place, I can drive the cars.”</p><p>“You do realise that they’re impossibly slow?”</p><p>“I haven’t driven anywhere for ages,” moaned Richard, “other than that weird Stig-dream anyway. I just want to drive something, I don’t even care what it is!”</p><p>“Weird Stig-dream?” asked Jeremy, locking the car and ambling to the path through the car park.</p><p>“Huh? Oh, yeah, New Year’s Eve, when I thought Stig made me full sized again.”</p><p>“Oh, that,” said James. “That doesn’t count.”</p><p>“There you go then, I want to drive something!” Richard sprang forward onto the path, and probably would have taken off running if Jeremy hadn’t grabbed him this time.</p><p>“Hamster.” Jeremy, this time. “You do remember this is for James’s birthday, don’t you?”</p><p>“Yyeess,” replied Richard.</p><p>“So we might have to take him round the models first?”</p><p>“True,” the boy conceded.</p><p>“Not much point running off without us then?”</p><p>Richard sighed, putting his hands in his pockets and walking more sedately at Jeremy’s side.</p><p>Jeremy and James each also let out a sigh of relief, and started walking towards the main entrance.</p><p>Then, the huge sign came into view, and Richard was off. He didn’t have his own ticket, and he definitely gave one of the entry people a heart attack, but there was just no holding it in. James, laughing at him, ran after him.</p><p>And well, after that, it would be rude for Jeremy not to join in.</p><p>Inside, James was immediately drawn to the shop, but thankfully easier than Richard to persuade that really he should wait a while – until they’d had a chance to wander round the park without carrying half of the shop round with them.</p><p>“Look! This Lego man looks a bit like you,” laughed Richard, gesturing to one of a number of full sized Lego humans, this one with slightly longer than typical hair and a grin.</p><p>“Ha ha,” responded James, raising an eyebrow at him.</p><p>“You should go sit by it, we can take a photo,” suggested Richard, nudging James in the appropriate direction and asking Jeremy for his phone.</p><p>Jeremy, unsurprisingly, dodged Richard and instead grabbed a random passer-by and placed the phone in their hands, tucking a giggling Richard under his arm and shuffling James in the right direction so that they could get a photo all together.</p><p>The total stranger was a pretty good photographer, and a few minutes later amicably handed Jeremy’s phone back, then hurriedly disappeared before he could be asked for anything else.</p><p>“It’s like we’ve got two Jameses!” exclaimed Richard, admiring the photos.</p><p>“I’m not sure I could cope with that,” muttered Jeremy.</p><p>“As if,” spluttered James. “You just wouldn’t win votes as often. Plus, I might add, that Lego man looks nothing like me.”</p><p>“A little bit,” protested Richard, holding his fingers slightly apart.</p><p>James rolled his eyes, but smiled. “Come on, let’s go and see what models we can see.”</p><p>For a few minutes, Richard acquiesced, following Jeremy and James happily round the park, taking in the scenery. Then a sign for Viking’s River Rapids appeared, and there was just no way he was going to walk past it.</p><p>“James, please,” began Richard, not even explaining what he was asking for. The sign was obvious, he definitely already knew.</p><p>“Really? Queuing and getting wet?” groaned James.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” said Richard, grabbing his arm and shaking it.</p><p>Jeremy laughed. “Come on, Hamster, I’ll take you, let James stay dry on his birthday if he wants to.”</p><p>“I do,” said James, “at least until home time, it’s January!”</p><p>“He does have a point, Hamster,” pointed out Jeremy.</p><p>Richard’s face fell. “But…”</p><p>Jeremy and James laughed, the taller man adding, “Don’t worry, we can go anyway, I’m just saying Captain Slow makes a good point.”</p><p>“Captain Wise,” nodded James. “Go on, I’ll find a good place to take photos to mock you with later.”</p><p>Jeremy and Richard sprinted off into the empty, zig zagging queue, Jeremy increasingly aware that virtually no one else was stupid enough to go on this ride today. All too soon, they reached the front of the queue, and a shivering attendant directed them to a soggy, 6 seater car on a rubber ring.</p><p>“Ready?” grinned Richard.</p><p>“No, but let’s get on with it,” laughed Jeremy, climbing in after him and wiping a seat off before sitting down.</p><p>The ride set off, Richard immediately standing up and holding onto the central railing, dodging waves as they crested the little boat, and laughing at each splash that caught Jeremy.</p><p>Jeremy was certain the waves were deliberately aiming for him.</p><p>As they passed beneath the bridge where James was standing, finally, an enormous wave crested the entire boat, soaking Richard as well as Jeremy and causing James to laugh loudly enough that they could hear him from down below.</p><p>“He is definitely going to have pictures of that,” said Jeremy, wiping his face off.</p><p>“We cheered up his birthday,” pointed out Richard.</p><p>“True,” grinned Jeremy, laughing as Richard’s hair began to drip down his face.</p><p>By the time they stepped off the ride, they were both squelching and entirely soaked head to toe. James greeted them at the exit, cheerfully laughing at the noises they made as they walked along.</p><p>“It’s good of you to confirm I wasn’t missing out on anything,” he chuckled as they headed once more for the Miniland models.</p><p>“It’s fine,” said Richard, shivering violently.</p><p>“Idiot,” laughed James.</p><p>“I’m definitely going to get pneumonia,” grumbled Jeremy, squelching after them.</p><p>Richard sneezed. “It’s not that bad!”</p><p>James rolled his eyes. “You two are such a couple of wallies.”</p><p>“We’re just enjoying what the park has to offer!” protested Richard.</p><p>“It’s all a cunning plan,” added Jeremy, grabbing Richard and swinging him up into his arms. “To have an excuse to make use of a Hamster hot water bottle.”</p><p>“I’m not very hot just now,” shivered Richard.</p><p>James laughed. “Very cunning, at least we can stop chasing after him now!”</p><p>“Oy!”</p><p>Jeremy grinned, rubbing Richard’s back and silencing any further protests as the boy leaned against him.</p><p>“That does feel better though,” he admitted.</p><p>“Let’s go see something for James,” said Jeremy, grinning. “Then we can find the rollercoaster and dry ourselves off.”</p><p>James laughed as he overheard, nudging them into Miniland, his face immediately transformed by the opportunity to admire the stunning Lego models.</p><p>“I knew it was worth coming,” whispered Richard from his position near Jeremy’s shoulder.</p><p>Jeremy smiled. “Definitely worth it,” he agreed.</p><p>The three of them sauntered past the London Eye, Big Ben, the sphinx, and even the Kennedy Space Center. They even stood and waited for the space shuttle to take off. James could have acted as a tour guide, carefully instructing the others on how they should admire the careful brickwork and the little tricks to strengthen things and form curves. Richard was, personally, more impressed with the full size technical Lego car, but he kept quiet and let James have his moment, occasionally taking advantage of his position to thump Jeremy when he looked as though he was going to interrupt and make a stupid comment.</p><p>After all, they teased James a lot, maybe sometimes they should give him a break.</p><p>Not a long one, just a little break.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The instant they reached the end of Miniland, Richard scrambled down from Jeremy’s arms and sprinted towards The Dragon rollercoaster. “James, Jez! Come on, we need to go on here now, the queue’s short.”</p><p>“There’s no one here, Hamster,” remarked Jeremy. “All the other families had tiny kiddies with them, not thrill seekers.”</p><p>“Just because they’re little that doesn’t mean they’re not thrill seekers,” remarked Richard.</p><p>James looked down at him. “True,” he grinned.</p><p>Richard thumped him. “Rollercoaster!”</p><p>“I quite like rollercoasters,” said James, shrugging and following Richard through the queue’s barriers.</p><p>“Me too,” grinned Jeremy, barging past and racing Richard to the front of the queue.</p><p>There was hardly anyone else at the front, and whilst Richard was barely over the height restriction, well – the ride alone height, not that he was riding alone – Jeremy quickly shoved Richard and James into the front seat together and took the space behind them. The smattering of other smaller children perfectly content to sit in the middle or around the back.</p><p>“I’m expecting you both to raise your arms,” instructed James.</p><p>Richard did so immediately. “No problem,” he laughed.</p><p>“And you?” pointed out Jeremy.</p><p>“I might,” grinned James, turning back to look at Jeremy as the older man leaned forwards.</p><p>The attendant stepped back and slowly, the rollercoaster shuffled into action, chugging up the main hill.</p><p>“Yes!” cried Richard, his arms still completely straight in the air, beaming all over his face then turning to James, yelling in glee as the car crested the hill and finally started to drop.</p><p>Laughing, James raised his arms, joining the others, all three of them enjoying the speed, despite the relatively tame ride. It seemed like the attendant even gave them an extra loop round the track, given the relatively small numbers in the queue, and they all got off bouncing with exhilaration, Richard, of course, keen to go again.</p><p>“Later,” smiled James. “I think warmth and coffee, possibly lunch?”</p><p>“Yes, do they have anything where Hamster won’t eat anything here?” asked Jeremy. “Can we go for that?”</p><p>“Ha ha,” complained Richard. “This place is meant for little kids, all very Richard friendly, thank you.”</p><p>James laughed again. “Just think about what you’re saying there for a minute.”</p><p>Richard rolled his eyes amicably. “You choose, James.”</p><p>“I think pizza and pasta are the order of the day,” announced James, pointing at Jeremy’s map and setting the three of them going.</p><p>“Can I go on the driving thing after?” asked Richard.</p><p>“Certainly,” agreed James. “When we’ve warmed up.”</p><p>“Definitely,” agreed Jeremy, shivering slightly in his, still wet, clothes. “I hope this place is toasty.”</p><p> </p><p>……………………………………………</p><p> </p><p>The driving school was pretty quiet too. Richard raced into the queue and joined the queue of kids of roughly his size – some bigger, some a little smaller. They were all bouncing with excitement, Richard didn’t stand out there, and for the first time Jeremy found himself wondering if they should have encouraged him to go to school, find a few people his own apparent age. But then Richard had always been excitable as an adult too, it didn’t mean he’d like to spend a lot of time in the company of children – and especially not if forced to go to school. Jeremy circled round and dismissed the idea again. Richard definitely didn’t want to go to school, he’d made that perfectly clear.</p><p>As the kids lined up for their safety briefing, Richard hung around at the back, probably vaguely paying attention, but mostly taking a peek under the bonnet of one of the Lego cars. Once they were allowed to set off, he quickly claimed the nearest car as his and was raring to go.</p><p>The idea was clearly that the kids could play at driving round a real town, obeying traffic lights and staying on the left hand side of the road (ideally). Some of the littlest ones might not manage it, but by and large they could manage, and have fun signalling which way they were going and so on. It was sweet, though Jeremy wasn’t certain it was precisely what Richard had been expecting.</p><p>Richard, however, didn’t seem to be following the usual rules. His tinkering under the bonnet had clearly been a bit more than casual, and after a couple of minutes of trundling round the roads sensibly like the other kids, their boy apparently found an extra gear. Instead of carefully stopping at give ways and signalling when appropriate, he was hurtling round corners on the wrong side of the road overtaking other kids, whooping as he did so.</p><p>“How long do you reckon?” asked James, glancing at Jeremy as their little friend made a nuisance of himself.</p><p>“I think the local police are already on the job,” laughed Jeremy, pointing out the attendant who was clearly about to take Richard by the scruff of the neck.</p><p>“Do you think ejection from the whole park or just the kids driving?” chuckled James. “We could make him sit in the car while we take our time!”</p><p>James snorted. “I think we’ll find out pretty soon.” He nodded to the driving area, where the attendant had caught up with Richard, grabbing the steering wheel and disabling the little car.  </p><p>“Oh dear,” laughed Jeremy, as Richard was propelled towards the exit, the other parents all staring at him, and by extension them.</p><p>“We’re very sorry,” said Jeremy, grabbing Richard and shoving him out of the way. “He’s not very good at going slowly.”</p><p>The attendant glared at Jeremy, and then at Richard.</p><p>“This one’s much better, but he’s too old,” Jeremy added.</p><p>“Yes, quite,” said James. “Let’s get going, shall we?” He paused to look down at Richard. “What were you thinking?”</p><p>Richard stared up at him, all big eyes and innocence. “I just thought the cars were a bit slow!”</p><p>“You cock,” said James, gently cuffing him on the head. “It’s not go karting!”</p><p>“That would be an idea though,” observed Jeremy.</p><p>James rolled his eyes. “Not right now.” He looked back down at Richard. “Are you going to behave now, Hamster?”</p><p>“I’ll be good,” promised Richard, his face full of sincerity. “Do you want to go and get a birthday badge?”</p><p>“No thank you,” said James. “I would like to go and see the Star Wars models, and visit the shop. I have a little birthday money I’d like to spend.”</p><p>Jeremy nodded. “Maybe take in the pirate ship on the way back to the shop?”</p><p>“Am I kicked out?” asked Richard suddenly.</p><p>“Yes,” replied James. “You just have to go back to the car.”</p><p>“Really?” Richard sighed, his shoulders slumping. “On my own?”</p><p>“I didn’t get kicked out,” pointed out Jeremy. “However unusual that might be.”</p><p>“OK,” sighed Richard. “Give me the car keys?”</p><p>“You’re not ejected, you idiot, as much as I think that guy was well within his rights to boot you out,” laughed James, throwing an arm round Richard’s slumped shoulders and squeezing.</p><p>“Also there’s no way I’m giving you the car keys,” added Jeremy, ruffling Richard’s hair. “Pirate ship?”</p><p>Slowly, a smile spread across Richard’s face. “Yeah!”</p><p> </p><p>………………………………………………………</p><p> </p><p>It was probably a couple of hours later when they neared the shop and the park was starting to slow down. James, who’d been patient through a colossal number of distractions, was starting to itch for a trip to the shop, desperate to look round the models he could take home and enjoy.</p><p>Richard wasn’t really paying attention to that. “Can we go on the Raft Racers?”</p><p>James sighed. “What’re they?”</p><p>“They’re inflatable boats that go down big slides,” said Jeremy, looking fairly sceptical himself, pointing.</p><p>“I think,” said James, “that I’m going to take this opportunity to go to the shop, before it closes.”</p><p>Richard nodded. “Yeah, that’s OK, I can go on this myself. I’m tall enough to go on all the rides solo, you know.”</p><p>“Just about,” coughed Jeremy.</p><p>“I’ll see you in the shop?” smiled James. “Don’t get lost or break anything,” he added.</p><p>“It’s OK,” put in Jeremy. “I’ll take him down.”</p><p>James paused, looking at the shop, and then back at the Raft Racers. “I’m so tempted to stay and watch,” he laughed. “You’re both going to be soaked. Again.” But he ambled off, nonetheless, leaving Jeremy and Richard standing watching him.</p><p>“Last one,” said Jeremy. “We can’t abandon James today.”</p><p>“I know,” Richard assured him. “Though I think sometimes he likes it when we abandon him. You know I think he finds us embarrassing sometimes!”</p><p>“Can’t imagine why,” laughed Jeremy, starting to head up the hill to Raft Racers.</p><p>Richard scampered after him, quickly overtaking him, despite needing to wait for him at the top. The bored attendant, gestured that they could go in either of two little boats, and Jeremy climbed in, barely squeezing his long body in and then having to make space for Richard between his legs.</p><p>“You take up a lot of room, Jez,” grumbled Richard.</p><p>“It’s been said I’m quite tall,” observed Jeremy.</p><p>“Ready?” asked the attendant, apparently close to starting to laugh at them.</p><p>“Nearly,” gasped Richard, from his perch between Jeremy’s legs.</p><p>Jeremy snorted. “Yes! Let’s go!”</p><p>They pushed off.</p><p>The little boat was really quite alarmingly fast. Watching the people come down before them, neither of them had really thought it would be quite so speedy, but they’d failed to take into account the effects of Jeremy’s bulk. They were flying. When they hit the first bump, they actually caught air, and Richard found himself wrapping his arms round one of Jeremy’s legs, clinging on tightly, in preparation for the second, larger jump.</p><p>“Ahhhhhhhh,” yelled Richard, beaming all over his face.</p><p>Then they reached the bottom, a huge tidal splash covering both of them as they hurtled at alarming speed towards the fence at the edge.</p><p>“AAAAhhhhh,” screamed Jeremy.</p><p>The boat drew to a stop, mere inches from the fence, just as Jeremy had started debating if getting his feet out of the boat would be a good way to stop it.</p><p>“Wow,” gasped Richard, struggling out of the boat. “That was amazing.”</p><p>“I’m not sure I want to do that again,” panted Jeremy. “My pants are too full of poo.”</p><p>Richard laughed. “James won’t get in the car with you if you’ve filled your pants.”</p><p>“It’s OK, all that water’s washed it away.”</p><p>“I am quite squelchy again,” observed Richard. “We’d better go and give James a birthday hug.”</p><p>“Very important,” nodded Jeremy. “Come on.”</p><p>“Do you think this has been the best James birthday ever?” asked Richard.</p><p>“Definitely, I’m pretty sure last year we gave him some leftover sprouts.”</p><p>“James likes sprouts.”</p><p>“He likes Lego better,” pointed out Jeremy.</p><p>Richard grinned. “Do you think it makes up for being a teenager?”</p><p>“Don’t know, we’d better go and give him a soggy hug and find out.”  </p><p> </p><p>……………………………………………………</p><p> </p><p>Later on, once they’d got home and all three of them had dried off and changed, they achieved what James thought he’d really had in mind for his birthday. He was sat on the floor, his two mates relaxing on the sofa beside him, the parts from his new Lego Bugatti spread out before him, the remains of a piece of birthday cake on a plate at his side, and a glass of beer in his hand. James was utterly content.</p><p>Jeremy and Richard were vaguely watching something on TV, Richard half leaning on Jeremy as they did so, his eyelids starting to droop. Both of them were occasionally glancing over to inspect James’s Lego, waiting for the next recognisable piece of the Bugatti to be added and compared to the real one. It was companionable, and quiet. And yet.</p><p>Had they not gone to Legoland, he wouldn’t have bought this set today. And he wouldn’t have that great photo of his two mates getting a proper soaking on the rapids, and well, it had been a nice day. Even Richard getting kicked out of the driving school thing, ridiculous child.</p><p>James sighed, smiling to himself.</p><p>“You OK?” asked Jeremy, glancing away from the telly at just the wrong moment.</p><p>“I am,” smiled James. “I had a good day, thanks.”</p><p>Richard, only half listening, smiled back. “I’m glad being a teenager isn’t too bad.”</p><p>“Only 364 days to go,” grinned James.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>